REFUGEE CAMPAIGN
An anti-racism charity in Perth is calling on the council to do more to take in child refugees.
Perth Against Racism, which was set up a year ago to protest against the Scottish Defence League’s demonstration in the city, says it wants to see Perth and Kinross Council commit to taking in three unaccompanied child refugees every year for the next 10 years.
Currently, there are three schemes in place for unaccompanied child refugees to be settled in the UK.
But from those three, Perth and Kinross has homed only one child. This was from a Greek refugee camp under the European refugee camps resettlement programme, or Dubs Agreement, which under the Immigration Act 2016 requires councils to resttle unaccompanied child refugees from camps in Europe, mainly France, Greece and Italy.
Using the same scheme, Perth Against Racism wants to see the council take in more refugees.
Perth Against Racism is supporting a campaign by the charity Safe Passage called ‘80 years on’.
The campaign aims to replicate the UK’s efforts to resettle 10,000 refugees during World War II 80 years ago.
Cat Mackay from Perth Against Racism said: “The campaign encourages people to go to their local councils and ask them to commit to taking three unaccompanied children a year over the next 10 years.
“I think anyone would struggle to argue that in an area of 150,000, saving the lives of three children over a year is too many.”
There are other schemes open to local authorities across the UK, as well as the Dubs Agreement.
Under section 69 of the Immigration Act 2016, also known as the ‘national transfer scheme’, child refugees who arrive in the UK (mainly into Kent) are distributed around the country to alleviate the pressure on the southeast of England.
Through this scheme, local authorities would need to take in 0.07 per cent of their local child population in child refugees between the ages of 16 and 18 - for Perth and Kinross, this is 20.
This scheme has been running in England for a number of years, but was extended to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in February.
However Perth Against Racism wants the council to take in all children, not just those aged 16 to 18.
Child refugees can also be resettled in the region under the ‘vulnerable children’s resettlement scheme’.
The scheme, introduced by the immigration minister in April 2016, is trying to resettle 3000 vulnerable children from the Middle East and North Africa.
Family members in the UK would be identified and the local authority would be responsible for creating a placement for the refugee child.
Currently, Perth and Kinross Council has not been asked to volunteer for this scheme.
Cat added: “Perth and Kinross Council, I understand, has already committed to taking 20 children under the national transfer scheme.
“Although this is a wonderful start from Perth and Kinross Council, they have only accepted one child from a camp in Greece so far [under the European refugee camps resettlement]. “We think we can do more. “You cannot even imagine putting your own children in the horrendous conditions these kids face daily, vulnerable, freezing and alone having lost everything.”
Cat says it is important not only child refugee at the Moria refugee camp in Mytilene, Greece